Reading

Reading
As discussed in our interviews the understanding of text/books is really important. Students also need to read a range of books: fiction and non fiction to extend their vocabulary. A range of School Journals are kept by their reading boxes if they need to take books home.

WHAT CHILDREN NEED TO ACHIEVE AS READERS.....

Children need to;
be enthusiastic and eager to read a wide range of texts, both fiction and non-fiction
be able to "read the words" (decode) of texts at their level
be able to predict what is going to happen in a text
be able to make meaning of texts at their level, both at a surface level ('what is happening?") and at a deeper level ("what is really happening?")
be able to think critically about the texts they are reading ('what messages is the author trying to give and is this good writing?")
use texts to collect, analyse and present information
recognise strong links between reading and writing
be able to read fluently, with expression and independently

TO DO THIS WELL, CHILDREN NEED TO HOLD....
background knowledge of the text
knowledge about the conventions of texts, e.g.
important information is contained in the title and cover
understand that we read from left to right
knowledge of how texts work, e.g. books have a particular structure according to their purpose
knowledge of the alphabet and letter-sound relationships (phonologicial awareness)

Knowledge of how to read words and sentences.
This means asking yourself some key questions when you come across a word or phrase you are unsure of;
what clues do I get from the picture?
what clues can I get from the sounds I can see and recognise? (letter-sound clues)
does the word I am thinking of make sense in the sentence? (grammar clues)
what punctuation clues can help me?

it also means re-reading the sentence and self-correcting as you decide on the "right' answer


When discussing book's with your child ask lots of questions.(Who,what,when,why,where,which,how,should , and if)

In Room 3 students are often asked to 'predict' what could happened at certain stages in their book, keep a list of words/sayings they are unsure about and summarise what they have read.

Do you think that's true?
Should people be allowed to...?
How does Bob feel?
What does this page tell you about tigers?
Helping your child read - things to do at home

Reading every day
Children learn to value reading through watching their family use reading and writing every day. Encourage your child to read by sharing such activities as:

• making a shopping list
• finding brands at the shops
• reading posters and signs
• following a street directory
• checking a television guide
• writing birthday cards or invitations
• choosing a video
• using a recipe
• writing notes to family members
• reading game rules
• reading the newspaper out loud together
• playing word games or doing crossword puzzles together
• reading out instructions
• looking at letterbox leaflets and store catalogues
• reading magazines, comics poems and rhymes

Reading aloud together
Children enjoy reading more if it is shared. Make time away from television and interruptions to read aloud with your child.
Read in your home language if your first language is not English.
Listen to your child read every day. Here are some tips:

• Look at the cover, title, pictures and talk about what the book might be about.
• Discuss the story so far and what might happen next.
• After reading, talk about the story and ask questions.
• Take turns when reading a harder book.
• Remember the three Ps for new words - pause, prompt and praise.

Pause - give your child time to work out the word.
Prompt

• Go back to the beginning of the sentence or read on to the end.
• Look for a clue in the pictures or words.
• Look at the first letter and think about what the word could be.
• Ask, "Does this make sense?"
• Try to sound out the word.
• If necessary tell your child the word.

Praise - even if mistakes are made, praise your child for trying.

Reading is Important
Be confident that your child will learn to read. Show that you enjoy reading by having lots of different material at home and by giving books as special presents. Visit your local library and borrow books for yourself and your child. Encourage your child to read anywhere. Talk to me for further help and advice.

Prose Reading

In class students have selected a book they are really interested in to retell to the class. Their passage must be at least 1 minute long.

Learning Outcomes

I am learning to read aloud with expression and fluency.
I can retell something I have read and have a beginning , middle and end.
I am learning to use eye contact and read at a good speed.


My Success Criteria

	Not Yet	Just Begun	Almost	Yes
I use expression when reading.
My story has a beginning , middle and end.
I use eye contact to help tell my story.
I read my book at the appropriate speed.

My next learning step is to:



For an indepth discussion of the teaching of reading comprehension go to this link at NZCER-

http://arb.nzcer.org.nz/comprehension/strategies.php


Some Learning Intentions for Reading:

Plot
• Discuss where the idea for the story could have come from
• Discuss whether the story could be true or false
• Identify the narrative plot elements: orientation, complication, resolution
• Express an opinion on the story
• Compare plots of other stories read
• Create text for wordless books

Theme
• Identify the theme of a number of different stories
• Make a judgement on what they think the author could believe in

Characters
• Discuss the characters and their actions
• Identify the relationships of the characters
• Identify personal voice
• Use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast characters

Setting
• Identify the place, time of day, weather, seasons, atmosphere, tone and mood of the story
• Discuss how the plot might be different in another setting

Plays
• Understand the conventions of drama texts
• Enjoy reading and acting out plays
Poetry
• Recognise that poems may tell a story or express one simple idea or mood
• Enjoy listening to and reading poetry
• Appreciate sound, rhyme, rhythm and meaning in poetry

Reports
• Explain what a report is
• Recognise the following features of a report: facts, charts, diagrams, labels, illustrations, photographs, tables
• Skim read to locate keywords and facts

Instructions
• Discuss the purpose of the instructions
• Recognise the following features of instructions: heading, steps in order, list of requirements, diagrams
• Recognise words used for linking: first, last, next
• Design own set of instructions

Language Features
 Know the difference between reported and direct speech
 Understand the meaning of an ellipsis
 Aware of digraphs involving vowel blends – ai, ei, oo, eo, ay, au..
 Aware of contractions and their extended words
 Explore antonyms, synonyms and homonyms
 Explore prefixes and suffixes
 Beginning to recognise Latin/Greek root words
 Investigate compound words
 Explore plurals
 Can use apostrophes correctly to show ownership
 Explore spelling rules
– double the consonant when adding – ed, ing or y
- x, ss, sh, ch – add es
- y changes to i when adding suffixes es, er, ed, ly, est, ness, except when vowel beside the y – enjoy- enjoyed
- plurals – change f to v and add es

Comprehension Strategies:
o Use different strategies to find the meaning of
unknown words (reading on, predict and check, glossary/dictionary etc)
o Retell the story, identifying the main
points
o Use inference to help understand the text
o Make predictions
o Make connections to previous expereinces
o Apply learning from text to new situations
o Ask and answer evaluative questions about
the text
o Compare and contrast different texts – theme,
Character, plot, authors, language….
o Discuss authors point of view and purpose
o Identify fact and opinion in text
o Justify opinions and reactions to text